Tag Archives: Sanctification

Repentance

Turn Away from Evil and Walk in Purity

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“I will maintain my righteousness and never let go of it; my heart will not reproach me as long as I live.”
—Job 27:6, NASB

Beloved, hear the word of the Lord. If we desire revival, if we long for His glory to rest upon us, we must turn away from evil and walk in purity. This is not a side teaching. It is not a call for the “serious” believer only. It is the foundation upon which all intimacy with God stands. We cannot see Him and still embrace what He hates.

Come Out from Among Them

The prophetic voice cries aloud: return to the ancient path. Do not mix what is holy with what is profane. Do not call evil good, nor tolerate darkness in the name of relevance. The word is clear: “Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate, says the Lord, and do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NASB).

Today the Church risks being known for everything but holiness. We speak of love, but do not discipline sin. We exalt grace, but refuse to grieve over what grieves the Spirit. “Be holy, for I am holy,” says the Lord (1 Peter 1:16, NASB). And holiness is not a style or a tone—it is separation unto God. It is walking as Yeshua walked, with clean hands and a burning heart.

Build on the Rock

The apostolic call is to establish foundations. And any true foundation must be built on purity of heart. Yeshua said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8, NASB). Not only in eternity, but now. Purity grants spiritual clarity. Apostolic vision cannot function through a fogged lens. If we want heaven’s blueprint, we must cleanse the altar first.

Paul reminded Timothy, “The goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from a sincere faith” (1 Timothy 1:5, NASB). Let every leader, every disciple-maker, every spiritual father and mother hear this: we reproduce what we are. If we want a pure Bride, we must be a pure people. If we want to plant holy churches, we must be holy vessels.

Guard the Heart

Let us not forget the pastoral heart of God. He is not harsh. He is holy. He does not call us to purity to shame us, but to heal us. Compromise is a wound that festers. Sin always takes more than it gives. But purity restores the soul. “Who may ascend onto the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? One who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3-4, NASB).

Pastor, shepherd the flock by example. Speak tenderly, but speak truth. Do not pamper the sheep into apathy. Call them higher. Let your heart break for what defiles them. We must not build cozy gatherings while the cancer of sin spreads through the body. Feed them, yes—but cleanse the wound.

Expose the Lies

The teacher’s task is to bring clarity, not confusion. And Scripture is not unclear. The call to turn from sin is woven through both covenants. “Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to keep away from wickedness” (2 Timothy 2:19, NASB). “Make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Romans 13:14, NASB). “Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, NASB).

This is not law. This is love. God’s commands are not burdensome. They are guardrails that protect the glory He desires to share with us. The Spirit leads us into all truth—and purity is the fruit of truth applied. We do not obey to earn His presence. We obey because we love Him. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15, NASB).

Choose Life

The evangelistic heart weeps over the lost and cries out to the wandering: choose life. Choose purity. Choose the cross. Salvation is more than escape from hell. It is freedom from sin. The Gospel is not a license to stay in filth but an invitation to come out clean.

Yeshua still saves. And He still sanctifies. The Blood is enough to wash every stain. The Spirit is powerful enough to break every chain. And the Father still runs to the repentant with open arms. Let us proclaim it boldly: “If anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NASB).

To the addict, to the immoral, to the proud and self-justifying—there is mercy if you will turn. But you must turn. The way is narrow. The gate is small. You cannot carry your idols into the kingdom. Lay them down and come.

The Call: Turn and See

Beloved, turn away from evil. Not just the obvious kind, but the hidden kind. The bitterness. The secret lust. The casual compromise. The entertainment that quenches the Spirit. The conversation that pollutes. The justification that numbs. Turn. Purify your heart. “Pursue peace with all people, and the holiness without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, NASB).

Do not delay. A pure heart is a joyful heart. A clean conscience is a soft pillow. And the reward is God Himself. Revival is not for the clever, but for the consecrated. “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you” (James 4:8, NASB).

Let the Church be holy again. Let the Bride be ready. Let the Spirit fall on altars that are clean.

Purge my soul and wash me white,
Turn my gaze to holy light.
No more shade shall stain my song—
I was made to love what’s strong.

A Prayer for Purity

Holy God,

Search me and know me. Burn away every unclean thing. I do not want to grieve Your Spirit. I choose to turn away from evil, even when it costs me. Cleanse my eyes. Cleanse my motives. Cleanse my speech and my desires. Let me be holy as You are holy. Fill me with a love for righteousness and a hatred of sin. Make me pure, not in name only, but in truth. Let my life reflect the Lamb I follow. In the name of Yeshua, Amen.

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Holiness and Revival

Love God, Hate Sin

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“Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the court [of your city’s gate]! Perhaps the Lord God of hosts will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.”
—Amos 5:15 (AMP)

Beloved, we have arrived at a point in Church history where we must confront an inconvenient truth: you cannot love God and be neutral toward sin. To love God is to embrace what He loves and to despise what He hates. Anything less is compromise, and compromise is not the soil in which revival grows.

In our hunger for grace, we have softened our stance against evil. We whisper warnings when God shouts them. We stroke the edges of darkness rather than calling it what it is. But the Lord, whose name is holy, still burns with a fierce hatred for sin—not because He is cruel, but because He is love. Love abhors all that destroys. Therefore, if we are to walk as Yeshua walked, we must awaken to His holy hatred.

The Holy Divide: What Love Demands

To love purity is to loathe impurity. To love truth is to grieve over lies. This is not double-mindedness—it is the necessary result of a sanctified affection. David cried, “From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104, NASB). Not tolerate. Not minimize. Hate.

This is not a hate born of pride or cruelty. It is the righteous hatred of Christ Himself, who Scripture says was anointed above His companions precisely because He loved righteousness and hated wickedness (Hebrews 1:9). It is the burning purity of God that pours oil on His people—not charisma, not comfort, not conformity, but consecration.

We do not get to pick which evils are worth hating. Sin is sin, whether it sits in the heart or walks in the streets. Whether it is lust in the pew, corruption in the court, or deceit in the pulpit—all of it grieves the Spirit. The cross was not partial in its sentence. Yeshua did not bleed selectively. And the Spirit will not dwell in a temple where evil is excused.

The Gap Between Anointing and Affection

Why do we cry out for revival and yet see no rain? Why do we pray for the fire to fall, yet keep our altars wet with compromise? It is not because God is unwilling. It is because our affections are divided.

“Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15, NASB). The anointing follows affection. You cannot embrace holiness with one arm while hugging rebellion with the other.

It is our imperfection in loving the good and hating the evil that restricts the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. God does not give His glory to the half-hearted. If we want to be full of the Spirit, we must be emptied of what grieves Him. We must be willing to lay aside not just bad things, but lesser things—even things others around us still cling to. This is the cost of the oil. But oh, the reward is worth it.

The Dangerous Comfort of Niceness

Our nation has known unprecedented religious freedom. We build churches without resistance. We broadcast sermons without censorship. But let us not mistake absence of persecution for the favor of God. Sometimes it means we have become too tame to be threatening.

“Woe to you when all people speak well of you, for so their fathers used to treat the false prophets” (Luke 6:26, AMP). The world has not hated us because we have not given it a reason to. We have chosen the easier road. The applause of man has become louder than the voice of God.

We are too quick to excuse sin, to dilute conviction in the name of love. But beloved, this is not the love of Christ. The love of Christ was never silent in the face of wickedness. It flipped tables. It rebuked the religious. It wept over the lost. It bled for the sinner but never approved the sin.

To love like Jesus is to be misunderstood. It is to be a nuisance to the world and a fragrance of life to the remnant. It is to pursue righteousness even when it costs you reputation, comfort, and standing. Vance Havner was right—we are so busy running for office that we have forgotten to stand for truth.

The Narrow Way: Love That Separates

“Whoever pursues righteousness and loyalty finds life, righteousness, and honor” (Proverbs 21:21, NASB). Notice that the path to life is not through appeasement. It is through pursuit. Righteousness must be chased with abandon.

If we are to be the Bride of Christ, we must look like Him. And the Lamb is pure. He is holy. His garments are not stained with compromise. Those who follow Him must wash their robes in His blood and forsake the harlotries of this world.

We must recover our disgust for sin—not as self-righteousness, but as spiritual sanity. Sin is not a lifestyle choice. It is death. It is rebellion. It is the very thing that pierced the hands of our Lord. To tolerate it is to make peace with the nails.

Let us not be afraid to be counted among the fools for Christ. Let us reject the fear of being labeled “intolerant,” “radical,” or “legalistic.” The only label that matters is this: “Well done, good and faithful servant.” That label does not come cheap. It is forged in the fires of obedience and secured in a heart that loves God more than it loves comfort.

Justice Begins at the Gate

Amos cried out not just for private piety, but for public justice. “Hate evil, love good, and establish justice in the court [of your city’s gate]!” (Amos 5:15, AMP). The revival God seeks is not one of emotion alone, but of reformation.

If we tolerate injustice in our courts, dishonesty in our systems, and corruption in our dealings, we mock the God of righteousness. The Church must again become a voice for justice—not partisan justice, but Kingdom justice.

Righteousness is not quiet. It speaks. It acts. It stands at the gate and says, “This is wrong,” even when doing so is costly. Revival that never touches the courtroom, the classroom, or the boardroom is not the revival of the prophets—it is a counterfeit.

A Prayer for Sanctified Affection

“Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth” (John 17:17, NASB). This is the cry of every heart that longs for more of God. Not more knowledge, not more comfort—but more of Him.

And to have more of Him, we must love what He loves and hate what He hates.

Beloved, this is not a call to become bitter, angry watchdogs. This is a call to become blazing altars. Let the fire of God burn in you until it consumes every unclean thing. Let your affections be purified until you no longer negotiate with sin but grieve over it. Let your heart be so aligned with Heaven that every compromise feels like betrayal.

When that happens, the oil will come. The power will come. The revival will come.

But until then, may our prayer be:

Lord, I want to receive more of the Holy Spirit’s goodness in my life,
yet I recognize today that I still cling to things You hate
and resist that which You love.
Sanctify my affections, that I may experience more and more of You.
Amen.

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Prayers

Let the Oil Flow: A Cry for Radical Transformation

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Lord of Hosts, El Shaddai, You are holy and faithful. I come before You broken yet hopeful, asking for radical heart transformation; let the oil flow. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, NASB). Strip away the sin that clings so closely, burn every impurity, and breathe new life into the ashes. “I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you” (Ezekiel 36:26, NASB).

By Your Spirit grant strength, self-control, and perseverance so that I may run to win; let the oil flow. “Since we have so great a cloud of witnesses… let us run with endurance the race set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, NASB). Quench my thirst with living water—“whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst” (John 4:14, NASB). Saturate the parched ground of my soul until every root drinks deep of Your grace. You empower the weak and renew the weary, and I trust You to finish what You have begun.

Do not allow my past or present failures to silence the testimony of Your love; let the oil flow. Where the adversary plotted harm, You are the Redeemer who turns it to good. “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him” (Romans 8:28, NASB). Make every scar a signpost of mercy and every weakness a doorway for Your strength. Send fresh anointing so that my words and deeds draw the lost to Yeshua.

Teach me to live as continual prayer, breathing praise with every heartbeat. You are the One who calls and the One who completes—“Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:24, NASB). Less of me, more of You; flood every corner of my life until only Your light remains. In the mighty name of Yeshua, let the oil flow. Amen.

Personal Holiness

Becoming a Man of God

“Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.” —Matthew 7:17, AMP

What kind of tree are you becoming? The words of Yeshua are clear—our fruit reveals our root. A good tree cannot help but bear good fruit, just as a tree corrupted at the core will bring forth bitterness in season. But too many attempt to fix their fruit without tending to the tree. They adjust behaviors without addressing the soul. They mask sin with service and substitute image for integrity. Yet God sees through every leaf and branch to the heart of the tree itself.

The Lord never said, “By their gifts you will know them.” He said, “By their fruits” (Matthew 7:20). These fruits—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22–23)—can never be manufactured. They grow only from a heart surrendered to El Shaddai, cleansed by the blood of Yeshua, and filled with the Spirit of holiness.

The Broken Cup

A cracked cup cannot hold what it was made to carry—only the Potter can restore it to fullness and purpose.

Imagine a cracked cup. You can polish it, decorate it, and fill it with the finest drink, but the leak will remain. Only the Potter can mend what is broken. God is not impressed with how well we appear to hold righteousness; He desires to make us whole. “Now in a large house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and earthenware… If anyone cleanses himself… he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work” (2 Timothy 2:20–21, NASB).

God calls us not to do more, but to be more like Him. A man of God is first a man possessed by God—his identity, his affections, his mind, and his motives all yielded to the will of the Lord. When this is true, all his work becomes sacred. Whether farming, building, managing, or preaching—every action flows from the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead.

A Holy Man Makes Holy Work

This is what makes the difference: a holy man makes holy work, not the other way around. Even our best deeds are stained if they do not spring from purity of heart. “Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalm 24:3–4, NASB). Holiness is not a performance; it is a possession. It is the Spirit of God indwelling you, purifying your desires, setting you apart.

Paul told Timothy, “Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life” (1 Timothy 6:11–12, NASB). That charge was not limited to preachers. It is the daily call of every man who longs to walk with God.

Abiding in the Vine

This pursuit is not about striving harder—it is about abiding deeper. “Abide in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it remains in the vine… apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:4–5, NASB). To become a man of God is to abide in the Son of God. Your fruitfulness depends entirely on your connectedness to Him.

Don’t just polish the leaves. Go to the roots. Invite the Holy Spirit to examine your heart. Confess your sins. Surrender your will. Let His fire purify, and His grace empower. Then your life will not just contain good works—it will become good because He is good.

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O God, plant me by Your living stream,
Let righteousness rise as my only dream.
Purge the rot, the pride, the shame,
That I may bear fruit that glorifies Your Name.

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Prayer

Father, make me a man of God. Not by title, nor by appearance, but by Your Spirit working deep in my heart. Cleanse me from every hidden sin. Mend what is broken. Shape me like the Potter with holy hands. I surrender not just my actions, but my affections. Fill me with Your Spirit, that the fruit of my life may reflect the root of Your righteousness. Let all I do be marked by who I am in You. In Yeshua’s name, Amen.

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Personal Holiness

Set Apart to Burn

Beloved, God is holy, and those who dwell in His presence must be holy also. You were not redeemed to blend with this world but to be set apart for El Shaddai, radiant in righteousness, clothed in purity, and burning with longing for the One who is altogether lovely. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled” (Matthew 5:6, AMP). This hunger is not of the mind—it is of the spirit. It is not theory—it is fire.

Do you not know, dear one, that the Lord your God is a consuming fire? (Deuteronomy 4:24). He burns away all that is unclean. But He also warms the heart of the one who seeks Him in truth. If you would walk in intimacy with the Spirit of God, then let there be a great returning—a forsaking of compromise, a renouncing of secret sin, a full surrender to Yeshua HaMashiach. For these reasons, you are set apart, called into His embrace to burn with passion for holiness. “Everyone who has this hope [in Him] continually purifies himself, just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3, AMP).

The world mocks purity, but the Spirit exalts it. Weep if you must, tear down the altars of pride and entertainment and comfort. There is no path to glory that bypasses the cross. And the cross still calls you to die daily—to die to flesh, to sin, to vanity—and live unto God. “Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, completing holiness in the fear of God” (2 Corinthians 7:1, AMP).

Rebuilding the altar of the Lord

Tozer was right: you cannot feel what is not rooted in the soil of repentance. Many want the wind of the Spirit, but they will not build the altar. Yet God visits the altar, not the stage. He comes where there is brokenness and obedience, where hearts lie prostrate and spirits cry out for the living God, set apart to burn in His presence.

Come out, dear reader. Be separate. Be clean. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded (James 4:8). Not for shame, but for glory. Not for legalism, but for love. The Bridegroom is holy. His Bride must be made ready, set apart for His divine calling. And the beauty He sees in you is not your gifting—it is your holiness. It is Christ formed in you.

“Without holiness, no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14, NASB). These are not words of wrath, but of invitation. For He longs to be seen. He yearns to be known. But He will not reveal Himself where idols still reign.

So, lay the groundwork—repentance, obedience, separation, holy living—and then watch. You will be filled. Set apart, you will burn with His holiness. The Holy One will draw near. And the joy of His presence will become wonderfully, wonderfully real.

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Prayer

O God who is holy and enthroned in glory, we repent of every impurity we’ve harbored. Cleanse us, refine us, draw us into the furnace of Your presence. Plant within us a new hunger, a deeper thirst, a passion for purity. Let us walk blameless before You, not by our strength but by the blood of the Lamb. We are set apart to burn in Your holy fire. Make us holy as You are holy. In Yeshua’s name, amen.

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See Also

Personal Holiness

Call to Holiness

The Path Back to the Garden

“Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.”
— Hebrews 12:14, AMP

Beloved, this is not a gentle suggestion—it is a holy command: without holiness, no one will see the Lord. The words burn with heavenly urgency. It is a call to the deepest part of your soul. It is a call to return to holiness.

In a world that waters down truth and trades purity for popularity, this verse stands like a flaming sword at the gates of Eden. For holiness is not just a command to obey—it is a memory your spirit longs to recover. Holiness is your spirit remembering how it was originally created in the Garden—unclothed by shame, unclouded by sin, walking with God in the cool of the day. You were formed for this. You were made for Him.

The Holiness of God: Our Pattern and Pursuit

The word holy is not merely religious—it is royal. It is the highest adjective ascribed to God throughout Scripture: Holy Ghost, Holy Lord, Holy One of Israel, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord God Almighty. The seraphim do not cry loving, loving, loving, though God is love. They cry holy. They veil their faces, trembling in worship before the God who dwells in unapproachable light.

Holiness is the essence of God’s character, the very atmosphere of heaven. It is said that heaven is a holy place, and no unclean thing may enter it (Revelation 21:27). The angels who surround His throne are called holy ones, the watchers who behold His glory. Even they, created without sin, only partake of His holiness in a relative sense. But you, child of dust, are called higher still—not to observe holiness, but to wear it as you return to holiness.

The Call to Holiness Is a Call to See God

If you do not pursue holiness, you will not see God. This is the plain meaning of Hebrews 12:14. And this should disturb us. The absence of holiness obstructs our spiritual vision. It dulls the soul. It numbs the conscience. It closes our ears to His whisper. Many cry for revival but carry hearts untouched by repentance. They ask for fire but bring no altar.

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8, NASB). And again, “Be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written: ‘You shall be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:15–16, NASB). Holiness is not legalism. It is not perfection in the flesh. It is separation unto God—a life set apart, burning with desire for the One who is worthy.

Holiness Is the Journey of Intimacy

Holiness is not a burden—it is your birthright. It is not about sterile religion, but passionate relationship. Holiness is the path back to the presence of God. It is the undoing of everything that separated us from Him in Eden. To walk in holiness is to walk in the Spirit, to live as Adam once lived—clothed in glory, not garments, as you return to holiness.

When you yield to the Holy Spirit, He begins to restore you. He purifies your thoughts. He transforms your desires. Holiness is your spirit remembering Eden and longing to return. And in Christ, the way is open. The veil is torn. The blood speaks a better word. Do not resist the Spirit’s call. Do not cling to your chains. Listen to the call and return to holiness for true intimacy with God.

The Apostle James wrote, “Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, NASB). Let that cleansing begin now. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s convenient. Now.

The Spirit Makes Us Holy

You are not left to purify yourself. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of holiness, and He dwells within you to empower what your flesh could never accomplish. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9, NASB).

Ask Him to burn away every impurity, to renew the Eden-vision in your heart. The blood of Yeshua is not weak. It cleanses fully. It restores completely. And the same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead will sanctify you if you let Him.

This is the call to holiness. It is a call to return to the original purity. A call to intimacy. A call to see God.

Prayer

O Holy One, I have heard Your call. Cleanse me from every sin that clouds my soul. Strip away all compromise, all idolatry, all hidden pride. Return me to the purity for which I was created. Let my spirit remember Eden and burn to walk with You again. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit, and teach me to walk in holiness all the days of my life. I long to see Your face. Let nothing stand in the way. Help me return to holiness. In the name of Yeshua, Amen.

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Personal Holiness

Be Holy, for He Is Holy

A Call to Purity from the Heart of God

Beloved, hear the call that has echoed through eternity: “Be holy, because I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16, AMP). This is not a suggestion or a poetic phrase for the spiritually elite. This is the voice of our holy God, spoken in love, spoken with fire, and written with His own hand across the pages of His Word.

I write to you, not with new revelation, but with the Word we heard from the beginning—that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all (1 John 1:5, AMP). If we claim to walk with Him and yet live in hidden sin, we deceive ourselves. This call to holiness is not external only; it is inward—down to the roots of desire, down to the meditations of the heart, down to the willingness of the soul. God does not call you to appear holy. He calls you to be holy.

The fire of God’s holiness cannot dwell in a heart that clings to what is unclean. And yet, how many of us come into His presence, lifting stained hands while asking for His nearness? How many songs have we sung that plead, “Draw me nearer,” while we have not repented in months—or years? We cry for revival, for intimacy, for revelation—but the Holy One will not fully manifest Himself to the impure.

Tozer was right: “A holy God cannot show Himself in full communion to an unholy Christian.” The Spirit is called Holy, not merely as a title but as a description of His very essence. If we are to be filled with the Spirit, then holiness must be our dwelling place—not just our aspiration. This is the call to holiness: a call to live set apart, sanctified, wholly surrendered, and burning with purity.

Let the Word pierce us:

“Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will [ever] see the Lord”(Hebrews 12:14, AMP).

“Therefore, come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord, “and do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NASB).

“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right and steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10, AMP).

This is not legalism. This is love. This is the purifying fire of a Father who longs to dwell with His children. Holiness is not the price of His affection—it is the pathway to His presence. You cannot live for the world Monday through Saturday and expect to encounter the glory of the King on Sunday. God is not mocked. The same God who struck down Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5) is the God who still searches hearts and minds (Revelation 2:23).

So what must we do?

We must repent—not with shallow words, but with torn hearts. We must flee what defiles the soul, and run to the One who washes whiter than snow. The blood of Yeshua is not just forgiveness—it is cleansing. It removes the stain and restores the soul. And if you will humble yourself, He will lift you into His presence.

Let me urge you, as one who has seen the fire in His eyes: Do not settle for a compromised life. Let the Holy Spirit sanctify every desire, every hidden thought, every motive. There is no joy like the joy of walking with a clean heart. There is no power like the power of a consecrated vessel.

God is holy. Yeshua is holy. The Spirit is holy. Shall we be content with casual faith, when we are called to commune with consuming fire?

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Burn every shadow, O Flame of Grace,
Strip every idol from its place.
Make me a vessel, pure and true—
A house of holiness for You.

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Prayer of Consecration

Holy Father, I return to You. Cleanse me of every stain. I bring You not just my actions but my affections. Sanctify my thoughts, my motives, and my desires. I long to see Your face, but I know that only the pure in heart shall see You. So purify me, O God. Let the fire of Your holiness consume all that is unworthy. Make me holy as You are holy. Dwell in me, and walk with me. I surrender all. In the name of Yeshua, Amen.

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Personal Holiness

LAY IT DOWN: A Plea for Radical Surrender

Beloved brethren, I beseech you by the mercies of God: Lay it down! Lay down every hindrance, every weight, every sin that so easily entangles your soul! For what fellowship has light with darkness? What union has Christ with idols? The Spirit cries out within you — “Come out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord, “and do not touch what is unclean; and I will welcome you” (2 Corinthians 6:17, NASB). Let us lay it down for God and His glory.

Why do you cling to what profits you nothing? Why do you hold fast to that which weighs down your race toward the prize? The Lord of Glory has purchased you with His own blood; therefore, you are not your own. You have been bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:20, NASB). Shall we then offer polluted sacrifices upon His altar — the remnants of divided affections, the spoiled fruit of worldly compromise? God forbid! He is a jealous God, burning with love for His people. He will not share His throne with another. Lay it down! Every secret idol, every hidden affection, every unclean thing must be cast away as dung if we are to know the surpassing riches of Christ. Truly, we must lay it down for God.

Hear me, beloved: the call to radical amputation is not cruelty; it is mercy. Our Lord said with holy fire, “If your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away… If your hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away” (Matthew 5:29-30, NASB). These are not the words of a harsh Master, but the plea of the Lover of your soul, warning you of the eternal ruin that unrepented sin brings. Sin must not merely be managed; it must be killed. It must be uprooted, severed, cast far from you, that you may be free to run the race set before you.

And I testify to you, not as one who speaks from theory, but as one who has walked this road. I found that my collection of rock and roll albums, though pleasing to the flesh, did not draw me closer to God but absorbed my time and dulled my spirit. Therefore, I gathered them — thousands of dollars’ worth of CDs — and I threw them away without regret, that my soul might be freed to worship El Elyon alone. I found that there was nothing Godly on Netflix; it was a net that caught my time and distracted my heart. I canceled it, counting it loss for the sake of gaining Christ. I found that I was watching too much news, filling my mind with the fears and troubles of the world instead of the Word of Life. So I exchanged those hours for time in the Scriptures, in prayer, and in the secret place with my God. I found that I was listening to audiobooks from Audible at night to fall asleep, but it fed my mind with many voices instead of drawing me into the presence of the Lord. So I laid them down as well, and now I fall asleep with worship music, my heart lifted up in praise to the Living God. Lay it down for God to work wonders in your life. And God is faithful — oh, He is faithful! — and He redeemed the time, and He drew me closer to Himself, deeper than I had ever known.

O saints of God, what are the idols of this present age that He is calling you to destroy? Sexual immorality, which prowls like a lion on every screen. Greed, cloaked as ambition. Pride, parading itself as self-importance. Bitterness, gnawing at the roots of your soul. Social media addictions, endless scrolling that drowns out the whisper of the Spirit. The love of pleasure more than the love of God. O saints, lay it down! Lay it down while there is yet time! Embrace the call to lay it down for God.

The Spirit is calling for a holy people, a pure Bride without spot or wrinkle. Shall we then trifle with that which nailed our Savior to the Cross? Shall we entertain what pierced His brow and ripped His flesh? God forbid! Let us rise up with the sword of the Spirit and slay every work of darkness that wages war against our soul. Let us run unburdened, with eyes fixed on Yeshua, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

Lay it down — not with sorrow, but with songs of deliverance! Lay it down — not with fear, but with the boldness of a child returning home! For what awaits you is not loss but the fullness of Christ. He will pour His Spirit into the vessel emptied of self. He will clothe you in righteousness. He will crown you with His steadfast love. He will make your feet like hinds’ feet and set you on the heights of His glory! Lay it down for God, and receive His blessings.

I write to you as one who has suffered the loss of all things and counts them but rubbish, so that I may gain Christ. Therefore, beloved, lay it down! Lay it down, and rise up in the power of the Spirit! Lay it down, and behold the beauty of the Lord! Lay it down, and run with joy into the arms of the King!

May the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Yeshua Messiah (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB).

Amen and amen.

See Also

Personal Holiness

The Journey of Sanctification

Becoming Like Yeshua

“Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love.”
—2 Peter 1:5–7 (NASB)

The journey of sanctification is the sacred path every believer must walk. This is not a casual stroll, nor is it a sprint—it is a lifelong ascent toward holiness, where the Spirit of God leads us from glory to glory. Yeshua did not die just to forgive your sins. He rose again to make you new. And that new life isn’t stagnant—it grows, transforms, and becomes like Him.

Peter’s words are a divine blueprint. He tells you to apply all diligence—to engage your whole heart. Faith is your foundation, but it must not stand alone. Add to your faith moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love. These are not random traits; they are steps on the staircase of sanctification. Each virtue lays the groundwork for the next. As you climb, you grow stronger in the Spirit and embark on the journey of sanctification to reflect Yeshua more clearly.

The journey is not easy. Holiness never is. But it is the call of every disciple. “But like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior” (1 Peter 1:15, NASB). This holiness is not outward show—it is inner transformation. It flows from the throne of God and floods every corner of your life: your thoughts, your desires, your words, your responses.

The Vine and the Branches

Imagine a branch connected to a living vine. It doesn’t strain to bear fruit; it simply abides. As long as it remains attached, the life of the vine flows freely, producing fruit in its season. But when a branch cuts itself off, it withers—lifeless, powerless, fruitless.

“I am the vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”
—John 15:5 (NASB)

Sanctification flows from abiding. You cannot manufacture holiness through effort alone. It is born in intimacy with Yeshua. The more you remain in Him, the more His life fills yours. And what begins in secret—prayer, surrender, Scripture—becomes visible fruit: love, patience, purity, humility.

Beloved, the journey of sanctification will cost you everything—and it will give you more than you can imagine. It will strip away pride, expose wounds, and challenge comfort. But in exchange, you receive the treasure of a holy life, the joy of communion with God, and the power to overcome the world.

Keep climbing. Keep adding. The Lord is forming Christ in you. And when He appears, you will see Him as He is—because you will be like Him (1 John 3:2).

Prayer

Father, take us deeper on the journey of sanctification. We do not want shallow roots or fruitless branches—we want to bear the image of Your Son. Teach us to abide, to obey, and to grow. Shape us with every step. Let faith grow into virtue, virtue into knowledge, knowledge into self-control, and so on until love overflows in us. Holy One, guide us through the journey of sanctification to make us holy. In the name of Yeshua, amen.

⸻

See Also

Spiritual Growth

True Holiness: More Than a Life Change

Beloved, do not be deceived—God has not called you to mere outward change, but to inward transformation. Many leave behind the obvious sins of the world, yet unknowingly exchange them for subtler, but just as deadly, sins. They forsake drunkenness but indulge in spiritual pride. They abandon lawlessness but embrace legalism. They turn from impurity but become judgmental toward those who still struggle.

Holiness Is Not Just a Life Change

This is not holiness—it is deception.

Holiness is not about appearing righteous before men but about being truly set apart for God. “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). Not a sacrifice of words alone, not a shift in outward behavior, but a full surrender of your very being. Anything less is religion without power—an illusion of godliness without the fire of God’s presence.

Have You Truly Changed? Or Just Relocated?

The danger is this: we think we have been delivered, when in truth we have only moved from one prison to another. Imagine a man who has lived in filth his whole life, dwelling in a pit of mud. One day, he hears of a beautiful palace where people live clean and respectable lives. Longing for something better, he climbs out of the pit and moves into the palace. But instead of washing, he merely changes his clothes.

He looks clean. He walks among noblemen. But inwardly, he is the same man—still carrying the stench of his past.

So it is with many believers. They leave behind the filth of the world and enter into religious circles, surrounding themselves with others who look holy. But their hearts remain unchanged. They have moved locations, but they have not been transformed.

The Pharisees did this. Yeshua rebuked them, saying, “You clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of self-indulgence” (Matthew 23:25 NASB). Outwardly, they appeared righteous. Inwardly, they were filled with pride, hypocrisy, and spiritual death.

Have you done the same? Have you left behind the sins of your past, only to embrace the sins of the religious? Have you exchanged rebellion for self-righteousness? Lust for spiritual arrogance? Worldly ambition for the love of man’s approval?

Holiness is not about where you stand—it is about who you are before God.

True Holiness: Surrendering All Sin

Do not bring only some of your sins to the altar. Bring them all. It is easy to surrender the sins we despise, but true holiness requires that we lay down even the sins we secretly love.

  • You may have repented of lying, but do you still gossip?
  • You may have abandoned immorality, but do you still hold bitterness in your heart?
  • You may no longer steal, but do you rob God of your full surrender?

God does not desire partial holiness—He desires your entire life to be set apart for Him. The fire of God does not come to warm you; it comes to consume you. Either you are fully His, or you are deceiving yourself.

Stop Managing Sin—Be Transformed

Too many believers try to manage sin instead of being delivered from it. They discipline themselves into better habits, suppressing certain desires, but they never allow the Holy Spirit to fully transform them. They white-knuckle their way through self-control, never experiencing true freedom.

But Yeshua did not die to modify your behavior—He died to make you new.

“If anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Do you believe this? Or are you still trying to improve what should be crucified?

Holiness is not about doing better—it is about dying to self and allowing the Spirit of God to make you new. Stop striving in your own strength. Lay yourself on the altar and let the fire of God consume what is not of Him.

A Prayer for True Holiness

Let this be the cry of your heart:

Abba, I do not want an illusion of holiness—I want to be truly holy. Search me and know me. Show me the sins I have excused, the idols I have clung to, the self-righteousness I have hidden behind. I lay them down now. Holy Spirit, consume everything in me that is not of You. Let me not be satisfied with mere religious change—make me new. Transform me into the image of Yeshua, that I may walk in true holiness before You. In His name, amen.

Beloved, now go. Be holy, for He who called you is holy.

See Also